Cutting table



Nov. 2, 1948. D. LEVIN 2,452,713

CUTTING TABLE Filed June 1, 1946' s Shbets-Sheot 1 AY'ZErne /s D. LEVINCUTTING TABLE Nov. 2, 1948.

5 Shaetsafiheet 2,

Filed June 1, 1.946

Mvenior: E B

' 'Nov. 2, 1948.

D- uzvm CUTTING TABLE 5. Sheets-Sheet. 3

I Filed June 1, 1946 D Ingealar Kuwnr flZlorn e ygs D- LEVIN I CUTTINGTABLE 5 shOGiS-Shggt 4 Nov. 2, 1948.

Filed June 1946' N E an Ill n. R w. w m W v k n vm I 4; mm 9% WM M N m D@N .9 & w w W y w W Am a a m $9 mm @i- Rm ..t-- mm.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 D. LEVIN .CUTTING TABLE wk N wk AN a o & WM v a S HJwfi/ w w k k \0 WWW Nov. 2,1948.

Filed June 1, 1946 Cam supporting brackets 24 extend downwardly from thecarriage frames 2I said brackets carrying a pair of latch cams 25, 25,and extending around the side frame member 2 and up between the membersI and 2 to carry the support-actuating cams 26, 26. The cams 25 are inthe form of curved grooves, low at the ends and high in the middle, andare so disposed as to engage the cam followers I9 to raise and lower thelatch members I8 as the carriage is moved. The cams 26 are in the formof approximately helical grooves extending around an arc of 90, and areso disposed as to engage the cam followers It to rotate the supports 7between their upper and lower positions (Figs. 3 and 5) as the carriageis moved. The earns and 26 must naturally be placed so that the latchmembers I8 are held out of engagement with the notches I3 and I 4 whilethe supports are being rotated or rocked; that is, the cams 25 mustrelease the latch before the cams 26 can cause rotation in either direction, as by disposing the active helix of the cams 26 opposite the highmiddle part of the cams 25.

The tracks 29 have slots or grooves 2? near their upper edges andshoulders 28 spaced somewhat below the slots or grooves. A cutting toolmounting 29, provided with wheels or rollers 36, is arranged to bemovable between the tracks and supported by the shoulders 28, thismounting including a circular turn-table 3| to which a cutting tool (notshown) is secured so as to be freely rotatable in all directions. Thetool may be of the type exemplified by Ogden Patent No. 2,343,202,issued February 29, 1944, or may preferably be of the type in whichcutting blades are mounted on the links of an endless chain, as in C. E.Clark Patent No. 1,309,317, issued July 8, 1919.

In either case the usual base of the tool is eliminated and the tool issecured directly to the turntable 3 I. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 8,the turntable is slotted as at 32 so that the cutting blades can passbelow the table surface.

The mounting 29 forms part of an endless belt made up of the blocks 33,hinged together at 34, and provided with pins or rollers 35 whichproject into the grooves 21, as shown in Fig. 9. This belt is supportedat its ends by the sprocket wheels 36'journaled on brackets 31 which aremounted on the carriage frames ZI the sprockets engaging with therollers 35 of the blocks at the ends of the belt. The carriage is alsoprovided with auxiliary supporting fingers 38, which may be mounted atthe top edge of the tracks 29, and which project lengthwise of the tableat intervals across the table corresponding to the .recesses II) in thehinged supports I. These fingers extend from the carriage a distance atleast somewhat greater than the interval between adjacent supports, andthe outer ends of the fingers are disposed slightly below the level ofthe top surface of the supports.

In operation, a lay of cloth to be cut, comprising any suitable numberof plies piled up within the thickness limit of the cutting machine, isplaced on the table; the supporting surface of the table being made upof the parts 9 of the individual supports in their upper positions,supplemented by the fingers 38 and the endless belt formed by the blocks33. The cutting machine, mounted on its turntable 3I, is then moved, byhand or otherwise, in any desired direction through the lay, travelingtransversely of the table on the tracks 20 of the carriage and travelinglengthwise of the table with corresponding lengthwise movement of thecarriage. Thecutter may be moved in a straight, curved or angular lineas may be required, for instance, by a cutting pattern for theparticular lay being out.

In the case of a movement having a transverse component it will beevident that a continuous lay-supporting surface is formed at all timesby the blocks 33, mounting 29 and turntable 3|, regardless of how thelatter may be moved.

In the case of motion having a lengthwise component, the lay-supportingsurfaces of the carriage, including the fingers 38, automaticallysubstitute themselves for the parts 9 of the hinged supports as thecarriage is moved. As the carriage advances its front pair of cams 25and 26 engage a correspondin pair of followers I9 and I6,-respectively;cam 25 lifts the latch member I8 on which follower I9 is mounted out ofengagement with notch I3, cam 26 then rotates through a turn the supportI on which the follower I6 is mounted, and upon completion of thisrotation the cam 25 lowers the latch I8 into engagement with the notchI4 to hold the support in its depressed position (Fig. 5). Thisprocedure is repeated as the carriage approaches successive supports, atleast two such supports on each side of the table being depressed at anyposition of the carriage, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As the carriagestarts to pass beyond one of the supports depressed beneath it, the rearpair of cams act in a reverse manner to raise the support; the rear cam25 releasing the latch while the corresponding rear cam 26 swings thesupport to its upper position where it is again latched.

The supports on the two sides of the table are staggered so that therecan be no interference when they are moving and so that resistance tomotion of the carriage (resulting from friction in the cams, inertia ofthe supports, etc.) will be distributed as evenly as possible.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the supports are shown as being balanced bycounter-weights I5 and Fig. 7 shows the brackets 24 shaped to allow roomfor these counterweights. The latter may, however, be replaced bysuitable springs, for instance the torsional springs 39 shown in Fig. 6,in which case the bracket 24 can be made somewhat more compact, ifdesired. In the further modification shown in Fig. '11 the supports 7are pivoted in brackets 49 mounted on the side frame member I, themember 2 being eliminated and the bracket 24 being replaced by a shortbracket II. In this case it is assumed also that springs (not shown) areused instead of counter-weights.

The table can be made of any desired length, with more than. onecarriage unit if necessary, and of a width sufficient for any normalrequirements. The supports may not have to be depressed through a full90 so long as they move far enough to clear the lower run of the endlessbelt on the carriage. If the supports are so balanced as to staydepressed by gravity, the notches I4 may be omitted together with theinner half of each cam 25. The horizontal spaces between adjacentsupports can be made narrower, resulting in a more nearly continuoussupporting surface, by widening the parts 9 or by locating the supportscloser together, or both, in cases where this may seem desirable.

It will be understood that various other modifications can be made inthe form, construction and arrangement of the several parts withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention;.and hence I do notintend to be limited to details herein shown or described except as they5 may be included in the claims or required by disclosures of the priorart.

What I claim is:

1. A cutting table comprising, a frame, a pmrality of supports pivotallymounted in the frame, releasable means for holding the supports inwork-supporting position, a carriage extending across the frame andmovable longitudinally thereof, portions of the supports and thecarriage top lying in a single plane to constitute a worksupportingtable surface, a cutting tool mounting on the carriage, and means on thecarriage moving the supports out of the path of said carriage adjacentthe carriage on the side toward which it is moved and returning thesupports to said plane adjacent the carriage on the opposite sidethereof.

2. A cutting table according to claim 1 which includes means on thecarriage actuating the support-holding means.

3. A cutting table according to claim 2 in which the means actuating thesupport-holding means is a cam and in which the support-moving means isa cam.

4. A cutting table according to claim 1 in which the carriage top ishorizontally movable with repect to the carriage.

5. Acutting table according to claim 1 in which the carriage top ishorizontally movable with respect to the carriage, and in. which thecutting tool mounting forms part of said movable top.

6. In a cutting table of the character described having a supportingsurface for the lay of material to be cut, a movable carriage includingtracks extending across the table, an endless belt having its upper runguided by said tracks in the plane of the supporting surface, and acutting tool mounting constituting part of said endless belt.

7. A table according to claim 6 in which the cutting tool mountingcomprises a turn-table having its upper surface in the plane of themaserial-supporting surface and being provided with an opening in whicha cutting tool may pass below the level of said plane.

8. In a cutting table of the character described having a supportingsurface for the lay of material to be cut, a plurality ofpiv0tallymounted supports each comprising a horizontal part, a verticalarm, an arcuate part disposed around the pivot point and means forcounterbalancing the support.

9. A table according to claim 8 in which the arcuate part is providedwith at least one notch adapted to engage a holding means.

10. A table according to claim 8 in which the horizontal part istransversely recessed.

11. A cutting table of the character described in which the supportingsurface for the lay of material to be cut comprises, the horizontalparts of a plurality of pivotally mounted supports, the upper run of an.endless belt extending across the table, and a cutting tool mountingconstituting part of said endless belt, said supporting surface elementshaving their upper surfaces substantially in the same plane.

12. A cutting table according to claim 11 in which the said horizontalparts of the supports are transversely recessed.

13. A cutting table according to claim 11 in which the said horizontalparts of the supports are transversely recessed, and which includesauxiliary supporting fingers extending from points adjacent the endlessbelt into the recesses of adjacent supports.

DAVID LEVIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Smith Aug. 13, 1940 Number

